Ontario Grain Farmer June/July 2021

14 COMMUNICATION WASN’T ALWAYS her strong suit. In fact, in college, Montana grain farmer Michelle Jones was so afraid of public speaking she would drop classes if the curriculum included a final presentation. Today, though, she is a strong advocate for agriculture, and especially Montana grain farmers, using her communication skills to connect with farmers, policymakers, the media, and the public. And while she doesn’t know exactly how she got from there to here, she knows how important it is that she did. Born and raised on a farm in south central Montana, Jones has spent all of her life on the farm. Today, she and her husband, Travis, a fourth generation rancher, farm 11,000 acres together with Jones’ dad. They grow wheat, alfalfa, malt barley, safflower, sunflowers, corn, and forage grains. They also have a small cow-calf operation. Ever since Jones was very young, she knew she wanted to farm. When she went off to college in Ohio, she studied history and political science, unsure at that time if she would be able to return to farming. After graduating, Jones started a job with UPS, which she greatly enjoyed. She decided to pursue an MBA in Operations Management and Mediation/Dispute Resolution. The job with UPS took her to Seattle. Later, she took on a job with Amazon Fresh. RETURN TO FARMING In 2012, Jones received a call from her dad, asking her to describe her dream job. Without hesitation, she said she still wanted to farm. At that time, he had been offered a new lease and needed someone on the farm full-time. That summer she returned to the farm to work full-time alongside her dad. In 2013, Jones combined her love of politics and policy with her passion for farming when she decided to throw her name on the ballot as a possible director on the Montana Grain Growers Association board. There was no one representing her district and she thought the role would be fun, so she decided to take a chance. “If I had waited for them to approach me, it never would have happened because they didn’t know who I was,” she says. Jones got the position and five years later was elected first female president. In total, she served seven years on the board of the Montana Grain Growers Association (2013– 2019), and another two on the board of the National Association of Wheat Growers (2016–2018). Through these associations, Jones worked closely with politicians and policymakers to make sure the voices of Montana farmers were heard. She was instrumental in making sure Montana farmers along the border could Speaking up for agriculture INTERNATIONAL FARMER PROFILE: MICHELLE JONES Melanie Epp MICHELLE JONES ON HER FARM IN SOUTH CENTRAL MONTANA. PHOTOS COURTESY OF MICHELLE JONES. not only deliver grain to Canadian elevators under the new Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA), but that U.S. varieties registered in Canada would receive reciprocal grading treatment. For Montana farmers, it was a big win, she says. Outside of her role with Montana Grain Growers Association, Jones continued to advocate and communicate about agriculture. In 2014, she started her own agriculture consultancy and advocacy company, BigSkyFarmHer. Using an online platform that includes social media and a blog, in combination with public speaking, Jones’ aim is to provide consumers, Industry News